Timer Keyboard Shortcuts for Faster Control
Space to start. R to reset. That's 90% of what you need.
I'm a keyboard person. Moving my hand to the mouse feels like effort, especially when I'm in the middle of something. So all our timers use the same shortcuts: Space to start/pause, R to reset, F for fullscreen. Learn it once, use it everywhere.
This is especially useful during workouts (sweaty hands + mouse = no thanks) or when timing cooking (hands covered in flour). Just tap the keyboard and get back to what you were doing.
Universal Shortcuts
These shortcuts work on all timers and stopwatches:
Toggle timer on/off
Reset timer to beginning
Toggle fullscreen mode
Toggle sound on/off
Stopwatch Shortcuts
Additional shortcuts for stopwatch features:
Record a lap time
Clear all recorded laps
Pomodoro Timer Shortcuts
Quick controls for Pomodoro sessions:
Skip to next work/break period
Extend current session
Chess Clock Shortcuts
For switching between players:
End turn, start opponent's clock
Pause both clocks
Quick Reference Card
| Key | Action | Works On |
|---|---|---|
| Space | Start/Pause | All timers |
| R | Reset | All timers |
| F | Fullscreen | All timers |
| M | Mute | All timers |
| L | Lap | Stopwatch |
| S | Skip | Pomodoro, Interval |
| P | Pause both | Chess Clock |
Things That Tripped Me Up
- Shortcuts not working? Click somewhere on the timer first to give it focus. Browser tabs can lose focus.
- Fullscreen shortcuts work both ways - press F again (or Escape) to exit fullscreen.
- On mobile - no keyboard, obviously. Just tap the timer display for pause/resume.
- Browser fullscreen (F11) is different from timer fullscreen (F). Both work.
Just Remember Three Keys
Space, R, F. That's start/pause, reset, and fullscreen. Those cover 95% of what you'll ever need. The rest you can look up when you need them.
Try It on the Stopwatch